This invention relates to interactive television program guide systems, and more particularly, to interactive television program guide systems with enhanced features and user interface.
Cable, satellite, and broadcast television systems provide viewers with a large number of television channels. Users have traditionally consulted printed television program schedules to determine the programs being broadcast at a particular time. More recently, interactive television program guides have been developed that allow television program information to be displayed on a user""s television. Interactive television program guides, which are typically implemented on set-top boxes, allow the user to navigate through television program listings using a remote control. In a typical program guide, various groups of television program listings are displayed in predefined or user-selected categories. Program listings are typically displayed in a grid or table. Interactive television program guide systems may allow users to view other television related information, such as advertisements, news, weather, etc. Interactive television program guides may also provide users with the opportunity to select and navigate through favorite channels, set parental control of channels and programs, set programming reminders, and set up the electronic television program guide.
Interactive television systems to this point have displayed program related information in less than optimal ways. Some program guides do not allow users to continue to watch television while viewing program guide data. Other program guide systems display too much data for the user at once, overwhelming the user.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an interactive televison program guide system in which users are provided with easier access to various program guide functions through an enhanced user interface.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an interactive television program guide system in which users are provided with the opportunity to access program related information and other information in new ways.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an enhanced screening room in which users may preview programs for ordering.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a screening room in which a preview video window explodes from partial-screen to full-screen.
These and other objects of the present invention are accomplished in accordance with the principles of the present invention by providing an interactive television program guide system in which television program listings and other television related information are displayed in a way that is visually pleasing to users and that is user friendly.
In addition, the electronic television program guide of the present invention provides functions that have not been provided before by other interactive television program guide systems.
The interactive guide may, for example, provide users with an opportunity to preview pay-per-view programs before ordering. The guide may, for example, display a pay-per-view program preview in a video window. The video window may occupy a portion of the screen. If desired, a video window of the video from the currently tuned to channel may be displayed simultaneously in a second video window. In response to the user ordering a previewed pay-per-view program, the interactive guide may explode the pay-per-view program preview window into a full-screen video.
In one suitable approach, the screening room may allow the user to preview the first few minutes (e.g., five minutes) of a program. The program may be a program currently aired on a channel to which the guide has tuned (e.g., using a second tuner), or a program being provided using a suitable video-on-demand scheme. The user may indicate a desire to purchase the program any time within the preview. After the user indicates a desire to purchase the program, the video window may explode to a full screen and the user may continue to watch the program.
In another suitable approach, the video window may play a trailer for a program. The trailer may be currently aired (e.g., on a barker channel or on the channel of the promoted program just before the program airs), or may be provided using a suitable video-on-demand approach. In response to the user indicating a desire to purchase the promoted program, the guide may, for example, explode the video window to a full screen, finish playing the trailer, and then display the purchased program. Alternatively, the guide may freeze the trailer, explode the video window into full-screen, and then begin playing the purchased program.
In still another suitable approach, the guide may provide an xe2x80x9canytime free previewxe2x80x9d feature. The guide may display the currently aired featured program in the video window, thereby allowing the user to preview a program from its current point. After a predefined period of time (e.g., five minutes), the guide may stop the preview and display a trailer if the user has not purchased the program. If the user purchases the program, the guide may explode the video window to a full-screen size and allow the user to continue viewing the program.
In the interactive television program guide system of the present invention, a main facility (e.g., a satellite uplink facility) provides data from a data source to a number of television distribution facilities (e.g., a cable system headend, a broadcast distribution facility, a satellite television distribution facility, or any other suitable distribution facility). The data transmitted by main facility to television distribution facility includes television programming data (e.g., titles, channels, content information, rating information, or any other information associated with television programming), and other program guide data for additional services other than television program listings (e.g., weather information, associated Internet web links, computer software, etc.).
The interactive television program guide of the present invention may be provided in systems in which program guide data is distributed from a main facility to an interactive television program guide implemented on user television equipment, via a television distribution facility. Other suitable systems involve systems in which data is distributed to a program guide on user television equipment using other suitable distribution schemes, such as schemes involving data transmission over the Internet or the like. If desired, the interactive television program guide application may be implemented using a client-server architecture in which the primary processing power for the application is provided by a server located at, for example, the television distribution facility or the main facility and user television equipment acts as a client processor.
The program guide display screens generated by the program guide of the present invention may be designed to provide the user with access to various program guide features while still allowing the user to view television programming. The display screens may include any suitable combination of text, graphic, and video elements. In particular, the display screens may contain the current time, product brand graphics, cable provider graphics, sponsor graphics, selectable advertisements, video windows that display the television programming on the current channel, or any suitable combination thereof.
The display screens are also preferably designed to display graphics, videos, and other information in a way that is visually pleasing to the user. The display screens may have backgrounds of any suitable graphic or combination of graphics. The various display screen elements (e.g., graphics, text, videos) may be displayed with shadows giving the appearance that the elements are in three dimensions. Any other suitable special effect may be used.
Further features of the invention, its nature and various advantages will be more apparent from the accompanying drawings and the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments.